Friedrich von Schlegel

Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829), German critic and philosopher, who helped spark German participation in the literary movement of romanticism in the early 19th century. Born in Hannover, Schlegel was educated in law at the universities of Göttingen and Leipzig. After his studies, however, he turned to literature, writing Die Griechen und Römer (The Greeks and Romans, 1797), one of his several works on classical antiquity. From about 1798 Schlegel was a leading philosopher of German romanticism, expounding his ideas in the journal Athenäum, a periodical that he and his brother August Wilhelm von Schlegel founded in 1798. The Schlegels believed in evaluating a literary work by understanding its originality and individuality rather than by measuring it against arbitrary artistic standards.

Friedrich von Schlegel also edited several other journals, including Europa and Concordia, and lectured on philosophy, history, and literature. Many consider his most important work to be Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier (On the Language and Wisdom of India, 1808). It helped establish the modern science of comparative linguistics, a field of study that involves the comparison of different languages (see Linguistics). His other works include a number of published lectures, the novel Lucinde (1799; translated 1913-1915), and the tragedy Alarcos (1802). In his later years Schlegel was active in politics and diplomacy.